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What Branson, Jobs, Sugar and Brady love about being their own boss

The freedom to follow your dreams, keeping all the profits for yourself and working when it suits you can certainly be attractive. Of course, there are a few downsides. The freedom to bankrupt yourself and to work all hours for little or no reward, the crushing sense of responsibility and the combined lack of paid holidays can make working for yourself a terrifying prospect. But generally speaking, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives.

So just what are the best things about being your own boss?

You can indulge your passions

Richard Branson is without doubt one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time, with ventures encompassing varied sectors such as music and airlines. His enthusiasm for every avenue he pursues is clear to see and for him, this is the chief benefit. “Entrepreneurship is about turning what excites you in life into capital, so you can do more of it and reap endless rewards, both personally and financially.” Sounds good to us.

Your opinion is the only one that counts

We all know how frustrating it is to have an opinion, only to be over-ruled by somebody else who just happens to be technically senior to you in the workplace. Even if they are clearly mistaken, you have to take their words on board. Not so if you are self-employed. You can consider other points of view - and certainly should - but you only need to pay attention to those that really matter. As Alan Sugar, entrepreneur and famous grump tells us, “The only people whose opinions I worry about are my wife, my children and my employees.”

You can just get on with it

If you have a good idea, you can simply get on and run with it. You don’t need anyone’s permission and you don’t necessarily need any qualifications to do it. Alan Sugar (he really has a lot to say!) points out that “not everybody needs to go to university; they can get out and start working straight away”.

You have time

One of the best things about being your own boss is that you can decide when you want to work. With nobody else giving you a pay cheque, if you don’t work, you don’t earn. But if you do want some time out, you don’t need anyone’s permission. Steve Jobs was a phenomenally successful innovator and businessman, with more money than he could ever spend. But he once said, “My favourite things don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we have is time.” He understood that for all his wealth, having the time to do the things you love is far more important. And working for yourself allows you to do that.

You will always be learning

Every day as your own boss is different. There will be plenty of challenges that may be testing, but certainly never boring. Entrepreneur Karren Brady reminds us: “The minute you think you know it all is when you don’t know anything at all.”

Being your own boss can be simultaneously thrilling and terrifying. But as our entrepreneurs have shown, there are plenty of benefits that make it one of the best jobs in the world.

If you’re thinking about taking the plunge and setting up your own recruitment business in 2015, why not get in touch with Simplicity? Simplicity has an unrivalled ten year track record in supporting ambitious and driven entrepreneurs, helping to turn their dreams into reality.